The Spotted Tanager is endemic to South America. There are 5 subspecies of this tanager. They are seen singly, in pairs, or small family groups. They travel independently or with other canopy tanagers.

Physical Description:

This bird averages 11 to 12 cm in length and weighs approximately 13 to 17 g. It is mainly green in color with a creamy white belly. Almost its entire body is covered in black spots. The sexes are similar in appearance, but the female is slightly washed out with less conspicuous spots compared to the male. Juveniles resemble duller, slightly more brownish versions of the adults.

Diet:

It feeds on fruits, seeds, nectar, and insects, such as beetles. They forage in the crowns of trees, average 15 to 50 m above the ground, but will come down to obtain fruit from smaller trees and shrubs.

Habitat:

The bird thrives in forests, forest edges, and nearby second growths. It has also been found on shaded plantations and tree-studded clearings. Its range encompasses Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, the Guianas, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. This Tanager inhabits forest edge, second growth forest and forest, particularly the mossy forest of the Andes, the terra firma forest of eastern Amazonia and the Savanna Forest of Suriname. Typical elevation range for this species is sea level to 1700 m.

Reproduction:

The female usually lays two creamy white eggs speckled with brown per clutch. Incubation lasts approximately 14 days and leaving the nest occurs about 14 to 18 days later.

The Bay-Headed Tanager is a social, medium-sized bird of Central and South America. It is common throughout its extensive range. There are nine subspecies of the Bay-headed Tanager.

Physical Description:

These adult birds measure about 14 cm in length and weigh approximately 19.5 g. There is considerable variation in plumage within the subspecies. T. g. gyrola, the nominate type, is mainly green with a chestnut colored head, blue belly, and a thin golden band around its hind neck. The sexes are alike in appearance and the juveniles are duller in plumage and have green heads with chestnut speckles.

Diet:

The bird feeds primarily on fruit, which is often swallowed whole. They have also been known to pick insects off the underside of branches.

Habitat:

Its range spans from Central America, including Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, down to the Amazon Basin including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. It is also present on the island of Trinidad and Tobago. The Bay-headed Tanager occurs in forests and they prefer the wetter areas. The common habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Reproduction:

The bird builds a bulky cup nest in a tree. The female will normally lay two creamy white eggs that are speckled with brown. She will incubate them for a period of approximately14 days. The chicks will fledge after another 15 to 16 days.

The Beryl-spangled Tanager is a colorful, tropical bird that inhabits the tropical regions of north to northeastern South America. Tanagers can often be found in mixed species flocks. This genus of tanagers is considered canopy dwellers, and will most often be found in the tree canopy. T. nigroviridis has three subspecies.

Physical Description:

Beryl-spangled Tanagers can grow to about 11 inches in length and weigh up to about 40 g. It is mainly black with bright green to bluish green speckles, sometimes appearing like scales, which cover much of its body including the breast and wings.

Diet:

Tanagers' diet typically consists of fruit. They have also been known to pick insects from leaves and the underside of branches. They forage most often between 2 and 9 m above the ground.

Habitat:

This species of tanager inhabits the Andean moist montane cloud forests. They reside in elevations between 900 and 3000 m, although they are most numerous between 1500 and 2400 m. Their range stretches across Venezuela, Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, and Brazil.

Reproduction:

The Beryl-spangled Tanager builds cup nests constructed of mosses, usually in a tree fork. Eggs will appear in March. The female averages a clutch size of two eggs. The eggs are creamy white and speckled with brown and lilac. The eggs are incubated for a period of 13 to15 days. Both the male and the female will feed the nestlings insects and fruit. The young chicks will fledge the nest 14 to 20 days after hatching.

The Turquoise Tanager is a medium-sized passerine bird that occurs in northern and northeastern South America. It is a resident of the Amazon Basin as well as adjacent rivers. It is a social bird and is often found in small flocks.

Physical Description:

The adult birds are around 5.5 inches long and weigh approximately 20 grams. They have long tails and dark stout bills. When fully grown, these tanagers are dark blue in color with yellow underparts. The Trinidadian form, T. m. vieiloti, has a darker blue hue and brighter yellow belly than their mainland counterparts. The east Brazilian subspecies, T. m. brasiliensis, is pale, silvery-blue with dark spots on its throat and chest and white on its belly.

Diet:

The Turquoise Tanager feeds primarily on fruit but will also eat insects, flowers, leaves, and seeds.

Habitat:

Its range stretches within the Amazon Basin to Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Bolivia. It is also common on the island of Trinidad, where it is a resident breeder. It inhabits forests, semi-open areas, and cultivated lands. This bird typically builds a bulky cup nest in a tree or shrub. In eastern Brazil, there is a disjunct population living from Bahia to Rio de Janeiro.

Reproduction:

The female Turquoise Tanager lays 2 to 3 brown-blotched, gray-green eggs per clutch. The female incubates the eggs for about 12 - 14 days. Pairs break off from the flock to reproduce. After hatching, pairs rejoin the flock but return to feed the young.

By Tony Mandarich
Author Tony Mandarich has written many articles about one of his passions, rainforest birds. Article Source: EzineArticles